A small white bag carried by henro that is used to hold your stamp book, name slips, candles, incense, book you use to recite the sutras, and the small change used for offerings at the temples.
Hakui / Oizuru
A waist-length white cotton vest with three-quarter length sleeves, or sleevless (see below), that is worn by henro on the henro trail. Plain hakui are nothing more than this, but the fancier ones will have writing on the back; usually the phrase "Namu Daishi Henjō Kongō (One translation: Hommage to the Savior Daishi, the illuminating and imperishable one). For those who want to spend a serious amount of money, there is even a hakui that you don't wear, but use to collect the temple stamps. At each temple, that temple's stamp is added to the back. When you have all of the stamps, you mount and frame the hakui and hang it on your wall at home. The hakui represents a henro's burial shroud as traditionally this is what you were buried in if you die while on the trail.
If the vest has three-quarter length sleeves it is called a hakui. If it is a sleevless it is called an oizuru.
JuzuorNenju
A Buddhist rosary. They come in all sizes and shapes but the most common will have 108 beads to match the 108 worldly desires that we need to rid ourselves of.
Kongōtsue
A walking stick that is carried by all henro - even those who wear no other forms of traditional clothing and by those who travel the trail by bus. While you can buy plain, unadorned sticks, the most common will have something written on them. This is usually the phrase "Namu Daishi Henjō Kangō (Another translation: Praise to Daishi, the Illuminating and Imperishable One) or the Heart Sutra. The better walking sticks have a brocade cover (tsue kabā) over the top handle portion with a small 1" (2.5 cm) spherical bell attached to it. The intent of the bell is to constantly ring as you walk, and thus, continuously pulling your attention back to the present; back to reality and what you are doing so that you don't just day dream all day as you walk. The walking stick represents Kōbō Daishi so you must take good care of it.
Kyōhon
A small book folded accordian-style which contains all of the sutras and prayers that you will need to say at each of the temples on the pilgrimage.
Nōkyōchō
A thin, bound book with blank pages where you get stamps (nōkyō) from each of the temples. The books come in all colors and styles, but most are about 8.5" x 11". Each temple stamps their page with about 2 stamps and then writes the date and the name of the main deity in kanji. The pages are almost works of art as the calligraphy can be quite beautiful.
OsamefudaorOfuda
A slip of paper about 2" wide by 5" long that has your name, address, age, the date, and any special prayers you have written on them, in addition to a stamped image of Kōbō Daishi and the phrase "Namu Daishi Henjō Kongō." In a sense, these are religious business cards as their purpose is both to identify yourself to Buddha and the deity of the temple and to memorialize your visit to the temple.You put one Ofuda in a special box to the right or left of the door of both the Daishidō and the Hondō. In addition, you occasionally give one to other henro (just like exchanging business cards) and to always give one to anyone who has given you settai. They normal Ofuda is white, but they come in a variety of colors to indicate the number of pilgrimages that you have undertaken.
Osaisen
Offeratory coins put in the collection box (almost always wooden) in front of the Hondō and Daishidō of each temple. Occasionally i see people throw in ¥100 coins, but usually it seems to be ¥10 and ¥1 coins.
Rōsoku
Candle. You need to light one in front of the Hondō and the Daishidō at each temple.
Senkō
A stick of incense. You need to light one in front of the Hondō and the Daishidō at each temple.
Sugegasa
A conical-shaped hat made of straw and about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter. Since the quality has gone down over the years, they are no longer waterproof, so you also need to buy the plastic cover that is made to go over the top of the hat. The hat represents a henro's coffin as traditionally it would have been laid over the body when it was buried.
Wagesa
A cotton or silk scarf about 2 feet long and 3 inches wide, usually purple in color. This is the layman's version of a priest's robe (kesa) and indicates to others that you are on a religious journey.
